Font Challenge: HTTYD
by PeculiarPie
Summary: A series of drabbles/oneshots based off of the individual alphanumeric and dingbat characters in a standard font. Current chapter: C is for Chief. "The heir to Berk ran a shaking hand through his auburn hair, unable to process his father's request, unwilling to accept that this mountain of a man must be so close to death to even bring it up."
1. A is for Alpha

Welcome to Font Challenge: HTTYD! This will be a series of drabbles/oneshots based off of the individual alphanumeric and dingbat characters in a standard font.

Expect lots of Hiccstrid and character/scene studies! Prompts and suggestions are welcome, but I prefer to stick pretty close to canon. (No modern AUs or crack pairings here!) At the moment I don't have a planned update schedule, but reviews do motivate me to write faster. *wink wink*

Enjoy!

-o-

A is for Alpha

Hiccup had grown to be the leader of the group, but Astrid would always be their alpha.

As a girl, she had trained the hardest. She was easily the most physically proficient, and mentally, the most ruthless of all of her peers. Each member of their gang had felt the fire of Astrid's temper at one point...though perhaps some were burned more often than others. More subtly, though, they also felt the warmth of her loyalty, the comfort of her protection. Astrid had claimed Berk as her home, and would fight tooth and claw to keep it safe.

For a long time, this had meant regarding Hiccup with a deep disdain. He had been weak, unfit to be the future chief, incapable of defending his people against the threat of dragonfire and foreign invaders. It's not that Astrid disliked _him_ , rather, she simply resented what his unViking nature would mean for their future.

Yet miraculously, Hiccup had managed to shift the paradigm, expanding not only her view of dragons, but of the the whole world. In a moment, in a single 'no' from his lips, her allegiance belonged to him. Even as their parents sailed away to certain doom, she believed that he would be able to come up with a plan to save them all. When he did, Astrid ensured that the others would follow these unorthodox methods and the boy who came up with them. Hiccup had always _capable_ of leadership of course, but it took the trust (and on ocasion, physical reinforcement) of Astrid, the alpha, before he was able to wield it.

On days when the mantle of chieftain was especially heavy, Astrid would try to remind her husband of the incredible things he'd already done. In so many ways he was blind to the revolution he had sparked mere years ago.

"Look at what Berk has become! Our ancestors could never have dreamed of a day where there was peace between vikings and dragons. You did this, Hiccup!"

Hiccup knew better though. "No," he would say, smiling gratefully at her.

"You did."

-o-

A/N: That was fun! One of the things I most appreciate about Astrid's character is that her support is crucial in the success of many of Hiccup's ideas. Without her conversion in the first movie, Hiccup would have simply ran away with Toothless or worse, been dragged back to Berk in shame and disgrace. However, because she believed in him, Hiccup was able to use his talents to drastically improve life for everyone. Hiccstrid for the win!

Please take a moment to reflect, review, and stay peculiar! Until next time, y'all :)

-PP


	2. a is for apology

a is for apology

-o-

On the battlefield, Fearless Astrid Hofferson had stared into Death's eyes without flinching, but now, standing before the Clubhouse doors, she felt an unfamiliar nervousness churning within her belly.

It was all Hiccup's fault, of course. He had always had a way of explaining and reframing things in a way that made her head spin ... but heart would have to admit the correctness in his words. As much as she didn't want to have this particular conversation, she couldn't ignore the fact that once again, she had been exposed to a new perspective and there was a clear call to action that she needed to fulfill. With a sigh, Astrid entered the Clubhouse and warily eyed the viking sitting inside.

Snotlout looked up and scowled. "Oh, it's you. Come to finish up the job? Or just gloat at your handiwork?"

"No," Astrid shot back haughtily, though it wasn't entirely true. An evil little part of her did indeed enjoy the sight of his injuries, courtesty of her own bloodied fists. She observed that Snotlout's arms were peppered with purple and green bruises, and how both of his swollen eyes had blossomed darkly. But then her gaze caught on the ugly gash above his collarbone and counted how many stitches that Fishlegs had needed to make to sew it back together. At that sight, Astrid was filled with shame once again.

"Peace offering," she finally muttered. presenting the small chunk of iceberg she had reluctantly collected and flown back to the Edge in waterproofed yakskin. Snotlout winced when she dropped it on the table beside him, but did accept the cloth-wrapped handful of ice shavings she prepared for him a few moments later. He surveyed it suspiciously--well, as suspiciously as he could out of two black eyes--before pressing it gently against his forehead.

"What's your game, Astrid? You're creeping me out."

Astrid growled in irritation but restrained herself.

"I don't HAVE a game, Snotlout," she retorted. The next part was harder, but she fumbled to get it out before losing her nerve, or her temper, again.

"I'm coming to...apologize to you. I was... excessive...this morning, and hurt you much more badly than you deserved."

Snotlout's mouth dropped open in shock at this admission, but Astrid still pressed forward. "I...I'm still...upset...at what you said to me, but that doesn't excuse my behavior. I definitely overreacted and I'm sorry."

A heavy silence fell upon the room.

"Wow," Snotlout said finally. "That must have taken a lot out of you, Hofferson."

"Don't," Astrid warned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Don't make this worse. For either of us."

"Hey, you already kicked the crud out of me today including almost LITERALLY chopping my head off with that damn axe of yours. I am NOT interested in making things any worse right now."

Another awkward silence loomed, though this one was less tense. Snotlout repositioned his icepack with a heavy sigh.

"For what it's worth, I accept your apology," he said lightly, looking anywhere but her direction. "I maybe...went a little too far in the teasing department this morning. I didn't think it would hurt your feelings but...well, I'm sorry too, okay?"

"Thanks Snotlout," Astrid whispered. Even though much of the awkward tenseness between them had faded after their apologies, she was still troubled by how much Snotlout's earlier taunting **had** actually affected her. He was right. A year or two ago, those words wouldn't have hurt her feelings one bit. The peace with dragons had changed so many things about what she thought her future would look like, and it was increasingly clear that she needed to take the time to evaluate her feelings and plans instead of blindly reacting.

Once again, Snotlout inturrupted her troubled thoughts.

"Seriously, Astrid, don't beat yourself up over it. You know better than anyone else how resilient I am" He paused in a half-hearted attempt at flexing. "Besides, even if you have changed your mind about getting married someday, we both know a Hofferson and a Jorgensen would never work out."

Despite herself, Astrid smiled.

"Finally, something we can agree on!" she exclaimed, stopping herself just short of slapping Snotlout's shoulder in camraderie. He winced and shook his head.

"Well, that's about as much sappy, touchy-feely stuff I can handle for one day," Snotlout. "If you wanna talk about your feelings some more, go talk to Fishlegs or Hiccup. I'm out of here though," Snotlout said, grabbing the rest of the ice and rising from his seat with a groan. He limped out the door, leaving Astrid alone with to mull over what had just happened.

Astrid was still sitting there when a different viking entered the Clubhouse a few moments later.

"I saw him leave and was hoping you could run through a few things with on the plan proposal," Hiccup said, his arms filled with parchment.

"Absolutely," Astrid answered, helping him unravel maps and diagrams with a practiced effeciency. They had been spending more and more time together lately plotting Viggo's defeat, and Hiccup was planning to present the finalized version to his father in the coming weeks. Of course, she was well aware that her expertise in battle strategies wasn't the reason that Hiccup had come.

"So..." Hiccup prompted gently. Astrid sighed.

"We both apologized and everything's better."

"Everything?" he prodded. She nodded silently, pointedly avoiding his gaze. Hiccup's hands stilled and his brow furrowed in concern. Eventually, she had no choice but to look up and face his piercing green eyes.

"Astrid, I trust you when you say things are fine between you and Snotlout now. But whatever happened...I can tell it's still under your skin. Are you still sure you don't want to tell me what he said?"

Unbidden, the conversation at the docks replayed in her mind; Trader Johan offering her some ridiculous marriage and family etiquette book for ladies and Snotlout's derisive reply...

 _Hahaha, look somewhere else old man, Astrid isn't interested in babies or boys. It's a good thing she's a decent shieldmaiden, because no self respecting viking would ever want_ her _as a wife anyways, amiright? Seriously, Astrid, getting married, having kids? Never gonna happen..._

"I don't want to talk about it," she answered succinctly. "Besides, it's less about _what_ he said and more about how _I_ reacted that I guess...I still need some time to process."

She took his hand and squeezed it lightly, aware that not long ago she might have kissed his cheek instead. "When I am ready, I promise I'll talk about it with you, okay? I'm sorry I worried you."

Hiccup smiled and squeezed back. The flock of butterlies in Astrid's stomach swarmed chaotically.

"No need to apologize, Milady," he replied lightly. "I'll be here whenever you're ready,"

-o-

A/N: This chapter took longer than expected, but I couldn't shake the prompt! The Astrid/Snotlout dynamic is interesting to me, but hard to capture. I wanted something more introspective than the undivulged insult in Snotlout's Angels, and of course had to add somr fluffy Hiccstrid at the end. Don't forget to r/r!


	3. 1 and only

1 and only

-o-

There were times when Hiccup wondered if Toothless really was the unholy offspring of Lightning and Death Itself.

He wasn't exactly sure why the thought struck right _now_ , when the lazy Night Fury was sunning himself with a gummy smile on face. The dragon rider scritched his companion affectionately and was rewarded when a back leg thumped rhythmically against the ground in pleasure.

No, right now he was just a new dragon alpha taking a well deserved vacation from responsibilities with an equally young viking chief at his side. Hiccup knew they were both relishing the solitude and freedom of this increasingly rare exploratory adventure.

But Hiccup also couldn't deny the homeward tug of his heart, the tender longing to return to his new wife and the tenuous possibility of an expanding family. His marriage with Astrid was still new and there was little pressure to produce a heir just yet, but he still watched for the signs of pregnancy each month with a growing sense of anticipation. This perspective shift was new and still evolving; Toothless, on the other hand, had never shown any interest in the idea of finding a mate or siring offspring.

This curiousity was especially notable near Snoggletog, when the other dragons seemed broody and hormonal and Toothless remained his same goofy self. It was even more pronounced a few months earlier, when Toothless was blissfully unaffected by the tempermental competition and drama of mating season. In fact, his behaviors in this regard were significantly different from the other dragons that Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if the conception of a Night Fury was indeed an event more mystical than instinctual.

At one point, Hiccup had even sought out every version of the Book of Dragons he could get his hands on, trying to tease out even a drop of extra meaning from the differences in phrasing between their entries. He found that outside the scant library of Berk, most Dragon books either omitted Night Furies completely, or contained the same poetic speech regarding their parentage. Hiccup suspected that prior to himself there must have only been one viking to survive an encounter with a Night Fury and go on to write about it, and whether or not his observation was rooted in truth or metaphor had been lost to history.

This of course, led to a thousand questions that could never be answered.

If it was true and possible for Death and Lightning to mate, which was the father and which was the mother? What were the mechanics of such a union? His current thoery involved a nesting dragon being killed by a lightning strike, transforming the clutch of eggs beneath her into Night Furies as her body rotted away. Fishlegs had been intrigued, but Astrid just laughed and said it was as likely as anything else, she supposed.

Toothless stretched and yawned before rolling back to his feet. Hiccup could tell by his stetching and shaking that the dragon was ready to get moving again. He stowed his notebook and had a cracked his neck to release the tension there, knowing they would be flying several hours more towards home. Toothless shot him a wry look as if to say _I'm ready to go...are you coming or staying?_

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, vacation's over. The big bad alpha has to go back and make sure the place isn't burnt to the ground by now." Hiccup groused, mounting up with practiced efficiency. He had ridden a lot of other dragons in the past few months, but nothing compared to the symbiotic experience of flying with Toothless.

"You really are amazing, bud. Now let's go home."

-o-

Author's Note: And that's our first numeric chapter! What do you think of Hiccup's Lightning/Death theory?

As a bit of housekeeping, I am trying to go in ABC order, but I figure that interjecting the non-letter character chapters between each letter pair is the best way to keep on track, especially when we get to the tricky dingbat chapters! As usual, I'm always open to suggestions and reviews motivate me to post faster. Until next time...

-PeculiarPie


	4. B is for Brother

B is for Brother

This dialogue takes place after the events in 5x11 "Snuffnut" where Tuff pretends to be dead and Ruff avoids Throk's marriage proposal. I'm experimenting here, so just imagine them lying awake in the middle of the night as this conversation happens, and enjoy!

-o-

"Ruff?"

"What?"

"Are you asleep?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well then can you wake up?"

"Do I have to?"

"Uhhh...I guess no, you don't have to. Goodnight sis. Sweet dreams."

"...Fine. I'm awake. What do you want?"

"Nothing. I'm just feeling terrible because I ruined your chances with Throk today, and that could have been your only opportunity to get married for love."

"That's a dumb thing to worry about, bro. You should focus your pre-sleep anxiety on something more realistic, like if we wake up in the morning and find out that Loki has switched our minds unto each other's bodies. Again."

"Ugh, that _would_ be terrible. But...if I was in your body, I could fly to Defenders of the Wing island and tell Throk I'd changed my mind about getting married, thus eliminating my guilt and securing you a solid future and opportunity for happiness."

"Tuff, there's about a million things wrong about that plan. First of all, if you did that, _you_ would be the one marrying Throkiepoo, not me."

"Oh. Yeah, I forgot about that."

"Also, I thought we went over this earlier. I might like the guy, but I don't want to get married to him. You can't ruin my chances at marrying for love if I've never even been in love, bro."

"Yeah, I mean, I get that, sis. But promise me that if you do fall in love someday, I won't be the excuse holding you back."

" _When_ I fall in love, I promise that nothing will hold me back. Not even you. I'd kill you first."

"Wait, you mean you'll kill me before you fall in love, or you'll kill me if I try to hold you back again?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"Cool."

"Goodnight, brother. Have weird dreams."

"You too, sis. 'Night."

-o-

Sorry for the radio silence! Life got crazy and I struggled with how to end this scene. Sometimes short and sweet is best I guess! I'd love to hear your theories on how the twins end up married someday in the comments. :) Til next time! -PP


	5. b is for breathe

_A/N: Hello again! I struggled between a few ideas for this chapter before finally landing on this one, and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. There are some pretty big/overwhelming things going on I'm my life right now, and I've had to focus on making sure I do what it says in the title of this chapter - breathe! Never fear though, I am committed to finishing this story and appreciate your support and insight on this journey. Slow and steady wins the race, after all! So now please enjoy..._ b is for breathe

-o-

It was dark and beginning to drizzle as the trio crunched up the path towards the Haddock home. Valka led the way hesitantly (she hadn't made this journey for nearly two decades after all) followed by Hiccup, who was leaning against Astrid. He had indulged more than usual tonight, though he wasn't quite drunk yet. If he had stayed in longer though, that would have been the inevitable outcome considering that the entire village had come to congratulate their new chief on his victory over Drago Bludvist. The celebrations would continue for many hours yet, but Astrid had gently insisted that he make it an early night. She recognized the exhaustion and grief he was keeping at bay, and knew that adding more alcohol to the mix was not going to help. Valka, too, had seemed overwhelmed by the crowd, and Astrid had siezed the opportunity to "rescue" her future mother-in-law for quieter quarters.

Valka's footsteps slowed as they arrived, her eyes scanning the home and cataloging every new repair and archectural modification that had been made in her absence. Hiccup swerved around her and fumbled with the new locking mechanism he'd installed on the front door. When it swung open he ushered Astrid in from the rain, where she quickly busied herself in lighting the fireplace to usher out the darkness. Hiccup turned and beckoned to his mother, who was still immobilized on the front lawn as raindrops began to fall more frequently around her.

"Welcome home, Mom," Hiccup said gently, as if speaking to a spooked dragon. He watched with sadness as she flinched away at the sound of his voice, his words failing to have the effect he'd hoped for. There was a familar tension in the air that reminded Hiccup of training wild dragons that had been hurt by humans in the past. He knew that once this pregnant moment ended, she could lash out or flee just as easily as relax into his invitation.

"I...I can't," she said finally. Hiccup gulped. He couldn't tell the difference between raindrops and tears as they rolled down her face, shame weighing heavily on her thin features.

"It's too much," she continued, refusing to meet his gaze. "Without him...I don't deserve..." her voice cracked.

"I understand," Hiccup said, though the words tasted like sand in his mouth. "We can try again later. Maybe you can go check up on Cloudjumper and the other new dragons in the stables."

Valka nodded, accepting the escape route he had graciously suggested. The wordless company of dragons would be much less overwhelming than facing the ghosts of her past.

"I'm sorry son," she said, and fled. Hiccup turned away from the rain his mother had just disappeared into, trying not to feel the sting of abandonment once more. He closed and latched the front door before looking up to find Astrid, frozen and wide-eyed, staring back at him. The flickering flames of the candle in her hand and the glowing hearth behind her were the only things moving in the room.

"She's, uh, not coming, I guess," he said, shrugging as if to minimize the impact of her absence.

Astrid frowned tightly, her mouth a a terse line of disapproval on her pretty face. She set the candle on the table slowly and said nothing.

"I mean, I get it," Hiccup continued, "It's been a really long time for her, and yeah, it's really hard to be in here without all of dad's vastness filling up the place..." his voice cracked.

Astrid slipped around the table and pulled him into a hug. Hiccup's eyes welled up and the wetness overflowed into her golden braid.

"It does feel big and empty in here without him," Astrid acknowledged in a whisper.

She pulled back from their embrace and looked at Hiccup seriously. "I know it's going to hurt for a long time, and we've all got to deal with it in our own ways. I just wish she was able to hurt _with_ us, you know? _With you._ "

Hiccup nodded. He wiped his face and looked around tiredly.

"I am exhausted," he sighed. "Physically, emotially, mentally, utterly exhausted."

"Then let's get you up to bed." Astrid took Hiccup's hand and led him to the sttaircase. Hiccup paused at the bottom step.

"It's late...I really ought to escort you to back to your house before going to sleep."

From the third step, Astrid turned and shot him a Look--one of her fierce expressions that meant Hiccup should know better and had probably said said something stupid.

"I'm not going anywhere." Astrid said with a firmness that made it clear there would be no arguing on this point.

Hiccup, suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude for his fiancée, simply nodded. The couple once again ascended the stairs to Hiccup's loft. Aside from the chaos of his work bench, Hiccup's room was relatively clean. The blanket had even been thrown over his bed in a haphazard attempt at making it. The world had been so different when he had left this room two days ago...

Astrid had been up here before, of course, though never for very long, and certainly never when they were alone. With an approaching marriage there had been discussion of building a new house for them, but as Hiccup sat heavily on the bed, the thought occurred to him that such an endeavor was no longer necessary. The ache of empty rooms below was palpable.

"Hey," Astrid said, inturrupting his foggy thoughts with her closeness. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer until she was standing between his legs with her knees touching the bed frame. She had already discarded her skulls-and-spikes belt and shoulder armor, and was looking much more soft than usual. Astrid bestowed a kiss in his unkempt hair, then fumbled with the buckles of his (much more complicated) armor. She removed the black chest piece first, then began unfastening the ties of his brown leather flightsuit. As he peeled it off his arms she knelt and loosened the bands on his legs, an action that was both innocent and incredibly intimate at the same time.

"This is very inappropriate, Milady," Hiccup ovserved wryly. "Once the rest of the villagers find out you've spent the night with me all sorts of assumptions will be made."

"Oh, let them talk." Astrid said crossly, grasping the fabric of flightsuit near his hips and with a quick jerk, yanked it past the seat of his pants.

"You think they haven't already said everything under the sun about us? We lived on an island, unsupervised, for years." She removed his boot and prosthetic leg.

"Not that that matters, of course, because _no one_ is going to say anything or make any judgements about what you do tonight, not after the last few days." She rose to her feet again, lifting his face to hers and allowing his hands to rest on her hips once more.

"Besides, even if they did, who would they complain to? The chief?" She bumped her forehead against his pointedly, in the same spot as Gothi's ashen smudge from earlier.

Despite himself, Hiccup chuckled, and the release of laughter unleashed an emotional floodgate that unexpectedly transformed his giggles into sobs.

"Oh babe, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Astrid consoled as best she could. He pulled her into an awkward hug and cried into her chest, while she stroked his hair and back comfortingly. Waves of grief and shame and regret rolled though Hiccup, and he wept.

"M'Sorry," he said eventually, after the torrent had died down. Astrid pulled back from him, suddenly aware of how soaked the front of her shirt had become. The blue fabric, now wet and cold, clung even tighter to the crevice of her breasts.

"Don't be," she answered, pressing him back into the bed gently, then crawling over him to snuggle under his arm on the other side of the bed. "I am here for you. Always and forever."

Hiccup sniffled and sighed. He turned and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"I do-on't know how I'm goi-ing to do this, As-strid," Hiccup whispered, still gasping after crying so hard. "I don't kno-ow how to be chief, especially not withou-out Dad to he-lp me."

"You don't have to be chief right now, Hiccup. You can deal with that in the morning. Right now, all you have do is hold me and just breathe."

"I-I can do-o that." Obediently, his arms encircled her more tightly. His breathing settled into a pattern: In, two, three, four; Out, two, three, four...

"That's right. Just breathe."

-o-

 _A/N: Grief is such a universal experience, but incredibly individual at the same time. I lovelovelove how Astrid supports Hiccup throughout the series, both in her vocal affirmations and by physical strong-arming reluctant members of the gang, as well as in the quieter Hiccstrid moments. Let me know how you feel about my personal post-HTTYD2 headcanon in the comments!_


	6. 2 can be as bad as 1

2 – Two can be as bad as one

She found him leaving the forge, pieces of his newest experiment tucked under his arm and a distracted haze in his eyes. Astrid called his name and enjoyed how his face lit up at the sight of her. Hiccup immediately changed the direction of his walk and greeted her with a kiss.

"What can I do for you, Milady?"

"Actually, I have something for you," Astrid said, a touch of pink highlighting her cheeks.

"Oh?" Hiccup inquired in surprise. He leaned his project against the nearest wall and received the small, soft bundle she presented. It was a pair of socks, intricately crafted from black wool with red accents on the heels, hem, and toe.

"I noticed yours were starting to wear thin and unravel last time we did laundry back at the Edge." Astrid explained. She tapped the red horned skull on his shoulder armor. "I thought it might be nice to have something to match your new look."

Hiccup admired her workmanship, marveling at the complexity of the stitch and the uniformity between the pair. Astrid had always been a perfectionist when honing her skills as a warrior-- that trait also meant she could be quite adept at the domestic arts when she put her mind to it.

"Is this nålbinding? It must have taken you a long time."

"Yeah," Astrid answered with a hint of pride. "They did. But nålbinding lasts so much longer than regular knitting."

It was a lovely and thoughtful gesture, but Hiccup's gratitude didn't prevent the odd feeling in his chest as he stared at the pair of socks.

"What is it?" Astrid asked, her insecurity about gift-giving once again rising to the surface.

"I think they're great, I really do." Hiccup answered, trying to assuage her fears. "But... well, you made two and I only need one."

He hoped he hadn't sounded accusatory or ashamed. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Astrid feel awkward for trying to do a nice thing for him.

"I did think about that, actually," Astrid said, though the pink flush had returned to her face. "But socks come in pairs. Somehow it seemed weirder to only make one."

That was true, Hiccup had to admit. It certainly would have been more uncomfortable if she had highlighted his disability by making only one sock. Though amputations and prosthetics were common enough on Berk, Hiccup still had to manage the physical and mental consequences of the loss of his leg on a daily basis. It was one thing to cope with on his own terms; to be acknowledged by someone else was quite another thing entirely.

And yet, it was just a reality of his situation that simple things like a pair of socks could trigger these complex emotions. Neither good nor bad...just complicated. A reminder that while most people would never think twice, for him there was _something_ to consider. He shook his head and his mouth twisted into a lopsided grin.

"Well, since you made two, they will last me twice as long," Hiccup joked. Astrid grinned back and punched him -- a rough sign of affection that restored the previous lighthearted mood.

"They better!" she chuckled. "Of course, knowing you, it's more likely that you'll have made yourself a new set of armored flight gear by season's end and you'll want me to make another pair to match."

"I _was_ thinking of something in tan and green for spring..." Hiccup dodged a second punch with a laugh, then disarmed her with another kiss. After a long moment (and a shout of "get a room, ya horny hooligans" from one of the villagers passing by) Astrid and Hiccup parted. Knitting their fingers together, the couple meandered hand-in-hand towards the dragon stables, together forming a perfect pair.

-o-O-o-

A/N: For an quick read on nålbinding and knitting as it relates to Viking culture and clothing construction techniques, check out this blog post:

https/ingebretsensknits./2014/07/01/nalbinding-how-the-vikings-made-their-socks/

I love HTTYD's portrayal of physical disabilities- accepted, acknowledged, and from time to time, a source of appropriate humor. We don't often get to see the more difficult aspects of Hiccup's amputation, but clearly he has been able to adapt to his circumstances and the series does not gloss over this situation, which is awesome and important!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter and suggestions for future scenes in the comments! Until next time! -PP


	7. C is for Chief

C is for Chief

The heir to Berk ran a shaking hand through his auburn hair, unable to process his father's request, unwilling to accept that this mountain of a man must be so close to death to even bring it up.

"I don't want to talk about this right now," he responded without answering. "You just need to focus on getting better and-"

"No, son. We both know there's a good chance that I won't recover from this one. Please, let me live to see you do your duty to Berk before I find peace in Valhalla."

"I'm...I'm not ready,"

Weak though he was, the chief propped himself up in the bed, an increducous expression on his face.

"Do you not love her?"

"Of course I love her," his son snapped back. "But the attacks have been coming more frequently, and Berk will need me here and focused instead of off honeymooning if you..."

The young man's voice caught in his throat, but after a moment he pressed on without looking at his father directly.

"You've prepared me well, and I'm not afraid to take on the mantle of chief when you're gone. But the idea of marrying...of becoming a father...I never thought I'd have to do that while these dragons continue to destroy our village week after week."

"Stoick."

Reluctantly, the young heir met his father's sober stare.

"Listen to me. I have married and sired children despite dragonfire, and never once regretted having a family. Not even when we lost your brothers and sister to this war. Perilous times should teach you only one thing-- there is no time to procrastinate what's truly important."

Stoick frowned. "Nothing could be more important than finding the Nest and ending this war for good. Valka and I...we know that. "

"If that's really what you think, Stoick, then you're a bigger fool than I thought. _Nothing_ is more important than being with the people you love, my son. _Especially_ not dragons and death."

For a while, Stoick was speechless. Then he sighed heavily.

"I guess you really are dying, old man. I always thought you didn't approve of my feelings for Valka, and now suddenly you're so sentimental..."

With a small frown. "I've never disliked the lass, but even you have to admit that her ideas ARE a little odd sometimes. We Haddocks are traditional, and she...well, she has her own mind. I suppose that's exactly why you love her, though."

"Aye," Stoick answered softly. "And she throws a mean right hook, too."

"Well, that settles it then. If we're both lucky she'll say yes and will bear you a son who will test you as much as you test me."

The chief laughed again at this joke, but mirth devolved into rasping coughs that wracked his entire body. Stoick leapt to his father's side. The fit lasted several minutes, and when it finally passed the chief seemed frailer than ever. When he was able to speak again, his words came out in a croaking whispher.

"I've taken the liberty of drafting an initial betrothal contract, which you'll find in the top drawer of my bedside table. Take it and go now."

"Wha- you want me to go _right now_?!?!"

Stoick found the folded parchment in the open drawer next to him. A quick scan revealed that it was, indeed, a very generous betrothal contract, written in the chief's shaky handwriting.

A unexpected yank on his beard turned Stoick's attention back to his father.

"Son, I would fight the gods themselves to have a moment with your mother again. Perhaps soon I will..." Stoick opened his mouth to protest again, but his father squeezed his hand to shut him up.

"The point is...if you cause me to miss one second with her in the afterlife because I have to haunt your ungrateful hide, _you will regret it_."

Stoick gulped and stumbled away from the bedside, clutching the betrothal contract in his large hand. "I'll...uh...be going then."

The dying chief watched as his son fled the room with a fond smile on his lips. His son was a mighty warrior, a worthy successor of to the legacy of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, and a man who had been prepared since birth to be the chief of Berk. But only the dying wishes of his father and the threat of supernatural intervention could have ever pursuaded him to face his fear of familial commitment.

 _The gods have gifted him the desire and drive to be the last chief of Berk to wage war against the dragons_ , a dying father mused as he tried to settle his weary bones into a more comfortable position. _Now if only they would grant him the courage to face the woman he loves!_

-oOo-

Author's Note: We all know Hiccup is sensitive about inheriting the chiefdom so that would have been an obvious choice for this prompt, but since this series is all about experimentation and subverting expectations, I decided to go with Stoick instead!

For all of their differences, Hiccup and Stoick are DEFINITELY related, and love to compare/contrast the two. In any case, it was a fun exploration for me to write! Do you agree or disagree with Stoick's characterization in this chapter or have a letter/prompt idea? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the reviews. Until next time! -PP


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